Apple TV stole my favorite YouTube TV feature and you can try it later this month

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Apple TV's Catch up feature is leaving beta later this month

Catch up on Apple TV MLS Season Pass
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple TV is starting to make a habit out of stealing my favorite YouTube TV features.

Catch Up is a feature that some Apple TV users have been able to access via beta since late June. The feature is essentially identical to YouTube TV's catch up with key plays, which is my favorite feature for watching sports and a big reason I love YouTube TV. The app generates a playlist of key plays (highlights), which you can then watch to bring you up to speed in a live sporting event.

Now though, everyone will be able to test out the feature. When the feature leaves beta later this month with the release of iOS/iPad OS/tvOS 17.6, it will be available to everyone on all platforms, including third-party TVs, streaming devices and game consoles. (The Catch Up beta was limited to Apple devices.)

Now there's a minor caveat. First, you'll need to have MLS Season Pass to use the feature regularly, though non-subscribers will hve access to Catch Up during any free matches that become available. At this point, Catch Up is not yet expanding to other Apple TV sports offerings like MLB Friday Night Baseball.

The new multi-view sports feature on Apple TV 4K.

(Image credit: Apple)

As mentioned, this isn't the first time Apple has stolen one of my favorite YouTube TV features. In 2023, Apple added multiview, which lets you watch up to four games at once, and brought it to MLS Season Pass. Earlier this year, they expanded multiview access to the Apple TV iPad app.

Lucky for YouTube TV, they still offer significantly more sports than Apple TV, so they keep my heart — and my money — for now. But if Apple TV keeps this up, then it could make a serious case for being a must-have streaming service for sports fans.

Score MLS Season Pass for 50% off

If you're looking to check out Apple TV's sports features, or are a diehard soccer fan, you can get MLS Season Pass for 50% off. That gives you access to every MLS game for the rest of the season and the entire MLS Cup Playoffs. You also get access to every single Leagues Cup game, which starts July 26.

This discount means that if you already have Apple TV Plus, you can now get MLS Season Pass at a discounted rate of $12.99 per month or $39 for the rest of the season. If you don't have Apple TV Plus, you'll pay $14.99 per month or $49 for access till the season is over.

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Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm McMillan
Senior Streaming Writer

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.